


Hear You Me

by Kiwi6498



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:22:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27872234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwi6498/pseuds/Kiwi6498
Summary: Why do adults still cry? Because sometimes, words aren't enough.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Hear You Me

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The "Harry Potter" series belongs to JK Rowling and "Hear You Me" belongs to Jimmy Eat World. I do not own any recognizable characters, settings, lyrics, etc., and am not profiting from this work.
> 
> This story was inspired and based off of the song "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. I find that listening to the song and reading the story really has a better impact.
> 
> This was originally posted to FF.net in April 2007 and has been lightly edited.
> 
> Bold italics represent song lyrics. Italics represent memories/dreams.

**Hear You Me**

Hermione went home that night and sat in her chair, picking up her quill and wiggling it back and forth in her fingers. She tried to think of her work, but nothing could keep her eyes from traveling to the picture above her, on her desk. Hermione tried to hide the picture, but doing this only made her think of the past more. She tried for three months to push the past aside and look towards the future, now that Voldemort had been vanquished, but she couldn't bring herself to let him go.

It was hard to believe that only four months ago, Hermione was nearly living the life she always wanted - the only thing that stood in the way was Voldemort. She had her dream job and she couldn't wait to start the rest of her life, after Voldemort was finally gone. She knew that going into the Final Battle there would be risks. She knew it and Severus knew it, yet they both decided to take the chance and now, her worst fear had become a reality; he was gone.

As Hermione continued to stare at their picture, a sea of memories came flooding painfully back to her and she couldn't stop the tears that started to roll down her cheeks. While she was out in public, it seemed that nothing was amiss; she held her head highly at work, with her friends, and family. To everyone else, Hermione seemed like war hero that the papers made her out to be; the strong, proud, and independent woman. If they only knew that she lived everyday through a façade – a mask to the world that covered her insecurities and hid away her desire and unfulfilled promise.

* * *

" _ **So what would you think of me now**_

_**So lucky, so strong, so proud** _

_**I never said thank you for that** _

_**Now I'll never have a chance** _ _**"** _

" _I don't care what my friends will think. If they don't like it, then too bad," Hermione said, to a very startled Severus Snape. "I don't care what they think and neither should you."_

" _I've never cared what those dunderheads thought," Severus replied quietly, looking her in the eye. "I don't care what they think…I only care about what you think. I wouldn't want you to lose your friends, no matter how much I loathe them."_

_Hermione gave him a small smile. "If Harry and Ron can't accept it, then I guess I've judged them poorly."_

" _Even if they act like their normal, immature selves, you know you'll always have me."_

* * *

" _I know it's not much of a promise," Severus started, as they walked down a wet and winding path in a woody park at dusk. "But after the war, if you want to…" He continued, stopping in front of a portion of the lit path that was beside a thicket of evergreen trees._

_Hermione looked at him and noticed that his black onyx eyes were shining brightly._

_"If I want to what?" She asked, with a smile on her face, as he put his hands inside his coat's pockets._

" _I know that it's not much of a promise, especially with the war, but if you wanted to, we could get married when it's all over," Severus said._

" _Really?" Hermione asked, her eyes twinkling like the stars above them._

_"If you really wanted to."_

" _Yes!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. Severus's hands flew out of his pockets to keep himself from toppling over. "I would absolutely love that."_

_He smiled and pulled something out of his pocket._

_"Then you're going to need this," he said, opening a box, which revealed a diamond engagement ring. He got down on one knee._

" _Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" He asked, looking up at her._

_"Yes, definitely," she replied sincerely._

The memory immediately brought Hermione's eyes to her left-hand ring finger, where her diamond ring now sat. Shortly after the battle, she switched ring fingers and refused to remove it, much to her family's dismay. As the tears started to fall more quickly from her eyes, she closed them and gently shook her head, trying to stop the memories from returning.

_She stared at him, refusing to listen to his words. Severus tried for a while to start this conversation with her and she always successfully avoided it, until now._

" _Hermione, you have to promise me. If I don't make it through the battle-"_

" _No," she said, shaking her head._

" _Please, just listen to me," Severus pleaded. "If I don't make it, you need to promise me that you will move on. You are the brightest person I have ever known and you're going to do great things. If the battle doesn't work out the way we hoped, you deserve to live your life…whether it's with me or not-"_

" _I can't," Hermione choked. "I just can't-"  
_

_"Yes, you can. I don't want to be the one to keep you from living the life you deserve. There's a very good chance that I won't make it until morning. We both knew that was a possibility. I tried disheartening you, but you will always be stubborn," he said with a sad smile and Hermione looked up at him. "But I need you to promise me-"_

" _Please, Severus, don't," she said softly, refusing to trust her voice. "I'll try, but I need you to promise that you'll try your best to come out alive."_

_Severus looked at Hermione painfully. "I promise."_

* * *

Trying to stop the onslaught of memories, Hermione got up from her chair and set her quill down. She walked over to her bed and sat down. She stared at the spot on her nightstand where another picture had been, but it was now safely tucked away in a drawer. Sighing, she closed her eyes and laid her head on her pillow, willing the memories to go away; wishing that she could bring herself to just forget, if only for a moment.

_Severus would be so upset if he saw me now,_ Hermione thought, hoping for the strength she needed to carry out his unforgotten promise. It took a long time for her to drift off to sleep.

Even in her dreams she could not escape the harsh reality of the past. For weeks, she had been taking the _Dreamless Sleep Draft_ to help get rid of the frequently occurring dreams, where Severus was always there, just out of her reach. No matter how hard she tried to reach him, she never could. Sometimes during a regular dream, he would appear and watch her. As soon as she realized that he was there, he would disappear. Lately, the dreams started to change. Dumbledore would appear and pull him away, back into the nothingness which he had appeared from. Tonight, however; she had forgotten to take the potion.

* * *

_Curses were flying everywhere; amazing colors lit the sky. Dozens of witches and wizards, centaurs and giants scurried across the lawns of Hogwarts like ants, desperately fighting for their cause. Voldemort was standing on the highest hill on the grounds, watching as his minions and enemies battled and fell, broken onto the field. With Dumbledore out of the way, Voldemort felt superior and tested his boundaries on both sides. As he watched his servants pick off Order members, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way up the hill. The trio rushed up from behind him, while Severus met them from the side, his wand drawn and ready. Their plan was running smoothly, until Harry's foot snapped a branch, just a short distance away from the serpent-like figure._

" _Ah, Harry. I was wondering when you would finally join me," Voldemort said calmly. "And here I thought that you would respect your superiors and not keep me waiting…"_

_Harry looked defiantly at him. "What superior?"_

_Voldemort hissed, looking at Ron and Hermione, before turning to Severus. "Kill the boy and the mudblood, Severus. I have no use for them and Harry will certainly not need them any longer after tonight."_

_Severus stood still, staring at Voldemort and for the first time, his face showed emotion in front of the Dark Lord._

" _Severus…kill them_ now _," Voldemort commanded._

_Severus looked straight at Hermione, his agonizing eyes boring into hers, when she heard his voice echoing through her mind. "I'm sorry, love."_

_In one quick movement, Severus turned back to Voldemort with a triumphant smirk on his face and threw his wand towards Harry. Harry caught the wand and pointed it right at Voldemort, the curse ready at his lips. Nobody was fast enough for what happened next._

_As soon as Hermione's brain registered what was about to happen, she quickly dashed forward in an attempt to knock him over, but it was in vain. The blinding, rushing, green light beat her._

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort shouted, pointing his wand directly at Severus._

" _NO!" Hermione cried, tripping over the ground, as Severus's body crumpled._

_In the one quick moment that Hermione managed to distract Voldemort, Harry raised Snape's wand and yelled the killing curse, making Voldemort fall for the final time. Hermione ignored everything around her, as she frantically made her way to Severus._

" _No," she whispered._

" _ **May angels lead you in."**_

" _Severus…no. Please, no," she choked, gently shaking his shoulders. "You can't…I can't…Please, you can't go yet," she sobbed. She grabbed a fistful of his cloak, pulling it up to her face, where her tears felt freely. "You can't go…I love you."_

" _Hermione," Harry said quietly, gently laying his hand on her shoulder. "He's gone."_

" _No…"_

" _Hermione," Ron began, crouching down next to her. "Snape's gone…he's not here anymore."_

_Hermione shook her head._

" _Hermione," Harry said, trying to pull her off of Severus' s body. "Please Hermione."_

" _No!" She exclaimed, fighting against Harry and Ron's efforts._

" _ **Hear you me my friends."**_

_"Hermione, Snape wouldn't want you to act like this…please," Ron pleaded, trying to pry Hermione away from Severus's body._

" _Hermione," Harry said strictly, pulling her off of Severus and hugged her._

" _It's because of him that we were able to win," Ron said comfortingly, as Hermione sobbed into Harry's shirt, clinging onto him for dear life._

" _Ron," Harry said softly. "Conjure up something to bring Professor Snape ba…"_

Suddenly, Hermione's dream about the night of the Final Battle faded into darkness and she was left standing in a dark room. A blurry figure appeared at the far end of her vision and started to walk slowly towards her. Previous nights of similar dreams came flooding back, as the figure started to become clearer and clearer. Just when she was sure it was Severus, the floor became quicksand and she started sinking. Right as she thought the quicksand would claim her into the darkness below, a strong hand reached out and grasped her hand.

" _Promise me," a voice whispered, as Hermione was suddenly safely back on the ground._

_Hermione looked at their interlocked hands and then up to his face, meeting a pair of saddened, black eyes._

" _Please."_

" _ **May angels lead you in**_

_**Hear you me my friends** _

_**On sleepless roads** _

_**The sleepless go** _

_**May angels lead you in."** _

_Hermione almost gave in to his desperate eyes, but caught herself and then looked down, only to have Severus raise her chin back up._

_"I love you," he said, gently kissing her._

" _I love you too," she replied._

_He gave her a small smile and his eyes once again looked at her sadly, only they said a very clear message: goodbye._

_Suddenly, Hermione seemed to be yanked away, slowly at first, but the speed soon increased and she began soaring backwards away from him, the blackness rushing passed her._

" _Severus!" She yelled. "SEVERUS!" She cried in desperation, as his standing form became smaller and smaller as she was ripped away from him._

" _ **So what would you think of me now**_

_**So lucky, so strong, so proud** _

_**I never said thank you for that** _

_**Now I'll never have a chance."** _

As soon as she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she woke up. Hermione flew upright, grabbing the covers around her and hugging them tightly.

"Severus," she breathed quietly. She knew it was him and not something that she dreamt of – she _felt_ his presence.

Looking around the room, her heart almost exploded; standing in her room and glowing faintly, was Severus.

Hermione couldn't breathe. She felt like time stopped. She slowly swung her feet off the bed and felt the cold floor under her feet; she knew she was awake. In a few short steps, Hermione made it across the room and hugged him, only he wasn't completely solid.

"Severus," she breathed.

He smiled weakly at her. "Hermione."

" _ **And if you were with me tonight**_

_**I'd sing to you just one more time"** _

"It _is_ you."

Severus sighed. The amount he wished he could stay was unimaginable.

"But how…" Hermione whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Dumbledore," Severus said quietly. "He let me have this one last chance…to say goodbye."

"What? You can't. It's-"

"Not fair?" Severus smirked. "No…it's not." He tried to put distance between them, but Hermione wouldn't relinquish her hold.

"Hermione," he said, swallowing the painful lump in his throat. "I didn't have a chance to tell you goodbye. You can look back at the time and cherish that it happened, but you can't live like this. I...I can't bear to see you like this." 

Hermione slowly let go and Severus took a small step back. "Your future is so bright, don't let the memory of me hinder you. The time we shared was the best years of my life, thank you. You won't forget, but don't stop it from preventing your future."

" _ **May angels lead you in."**_

Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand, her stopped tears threatening to fall again.

"I can't see a future without you," she replied quietly and then threw her arms around him again.

Severus closed his eyes as Hermione cried into his chest. This was not the goodbye he anticipated. He was thankful for this one last chance, but he didn't realize it would be so _hard_.

For what seemed like an eternity, Severus held Hermione as she cried, neither one speaking. When Hermione finally caught her breath, she opened her eyes to see that the glow around Severus had disappeared. 

"You're solid," Hermione murmured.

" _ **A song for the heart so big**_

_**God wouldn't let it live."** _

"Severus," Hermione whispered urgently and his eyes slowly flicked open. 

He nearly jumped. He didn't understand it. The eerie glow was gone and he _felt_ different.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

Hermione let her arms fall to the side and Severus stepped away. He hadn't felt this heavy in a long time.

Severus gently patted himself in different places. His body felt alive.

He looked up at Hermione, who was looking at him with wide eyes. "You're-"

"Alive," a voice interrupted.

Both heads snapped to see an almost ghost-like Dumbledore stand up from the chair that he was seated in.

"But…how?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore gave a small smile. "Even in death, the life debt works in mysterious ways. I couldn't rest until I found a way."

"What life debt?" Severus asked softly.

"Severus, I never properly thanked you for what you did for me. You continued to give your life, well after your indiscretions were paid for. You gave your life up for me and were so young…it wasn't fair. You saved my life far too many times to count, by saving the lives of others.

"Enjoy this m'boy. I have faith in you," Dumbledore said and with one last smile, he vanished into the wind that quickly blew throughout the room.

Hermione swore she saw his eyes twinkle right before he disappeared.

Severus stared in absolute awe at the last place he had seen Dumbledore, before turning his gaze back to Hermione, who hugged him. The happiness she felt almost felt foreign, but it was gladly welcomed.

"I'm glad I waited," she said, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Me too."


End file.
